WWE in the Octagon
This time… you'd better brace yourself a little.
"Your Round 2 opponent has been decided."
Rachel set her tablet on the café table as she spoke.
It had been about a month since the debut. In that time Han Daewong had been training at Bae Jong-gap's gym, and the tournament had already rolled on into the next round.
"This time… you'd better brace yourself a little."
Rachel's face was different from last time. With Kim Do-chol she'd even had the leisure to wonder whether Do-chol would make it out in one piece. This time she was serious.
"Why? Another dirty fighter?"
Seo-yeon asked from beside them.
"No. The exact opposite."
Rachel pulled up a fighter profile on the tablet.
The man on the screen looked nothing like Kim Do-chol.
No rough edges, no wall of tattoos. Neatly cropped hair, calm eyes. A solid athlete's build with something almost model-student about the way he carried himself.
"Seo Min-ho. Super Heavyweight. Record: fifteen wins, four losses."
Rachel tapped the profile.
"His nickname is… Textbook."
"Textbook?"
"Yeah. Everything about him is by the book. Striking, grappling, defense—there's no gap anywhere. He isn't flashy, but he has no weaknesses. That's why people can't beat him."
Rachel flipped through a few of Seo Min-ho's fight videos.
On screen, Seo Min-ho didn't drive in wild and rough the way Kim Do-chol did.
He simply, calmly blocked his opponent's attacks the proper way, and when a gap appeared he cut in the proper way. A clean, textbook fight with nothing wasted.
"This guy doesn't use dirty tricks. He fights strictly fair and square. So he has a lot of fans, and the media loves him. Pride of the orthodox school—that kind of thing."
"He's got four losses on his record, though?"
Seo-yeon asked.
"That's actually a point of pride for him."
Rachel said.
"He never dodges strong opponents. He doesn't run. He takes them all head-on. That's how he lost. There are fights he wouldn't have lost if he'd gone dirty, but he stuck to the fundamentals all the way. …That's the kind of fighter he is."
Seo-yeon's expression tightened a little. A different kind of tension from Kim Do-chol's time.
"…So he's the real deal, then."
"Yes. He's on a completely different level from a dirty fighter. This time it's a genuine talent."
Even as she said it, Rachel glanced at Han Daewong, who was listening in silence.
Of course, Rachel knew.
No matter how much of an orthodox talent Seo Min-ho was—in front of this monster, he would end up with the same fate as Kim Do-chol.
In front of the man who turned a four-million-won sandbag into dust with a single hit.
And yet this time her heart felt strangely heavy.
Kim Do-chol had been a dirty bastard.
There had been a shred of satisfaction in the idea that he'd had it coming.
But Seo Min-ho wasn't that kind of guy.
He was a fighter who had insisted on clean fundamentals his whole life.
How would a fighter like that fall apart in front of this monster…
…Well. That's this business for you.
Rachel swallowed the thought.
"Anyway. He's no pushover. You'll need to take training more seriously."
Rachel said as she closed the tablet.
Han Daewong just kept looking at Seo Min-ho on the screen.
There was a weight in his eyes—something different from when he'd looked at Kim Do-chol before the debut.
At the same time.
Seo Min-ho was at the gym watching Han Daewong's debut fight footage.
He'd lost count of how many times. Other fighters had laughed it off as fake when they saw it. Seo Min-ho didn't laugh.
Three seconds. One single punch.
Seo Min-ho rewound that clip in slow motion again and again.
The moment Han Daewong's fist buried itself in Kim Do-chol's face, that giant body flying like a sheet of paper.
"…That wasn't luck."
Seo Min-ho muttered low.
Everyone else said he'd just gotten lucky. That a lucky punch had happened to land clean. But to Seo Min-ho's eyes, that wasn't what it looked like.
If anything, that punch was… a calculated one-shot.
In the instant Kim Do-chol drove in, a straight came in at the most effective timing, at the most lethal angle.
You couldn't throw that on luck alone. So that was a powerful shot born of beast-like instinct and overwhelming physicality.
Seo Min-ho paused the video there.
…This man is strong.
As someone who had spent a lifetime in combat sports, Seo Min-ho recognized that strength.
That this rookie named Han Daewong was no ordinary prospect.
That he might even be stronger than anyone Seo Min-ho had faced so far.
But that was that.
Seo Min-ho slowly rose from his seat.
…Being strong doesn't mean you win everything.
That was Seo Min-ho's creed.
Seo Min-ho was no genius.
He wasn't dirty like Kim Do-chol either.
What he had was only one thing—the fundamentals, carved into his body through thousands, tens of thousands of repetitions.
He'd been broken before by flashy talent.
He'd been taken down by eccentric weirdos. Those four losses on his record were the proof.
But Seo Min-ho had never once abandoned the fundamentals.
Because he believed the fundamentals never betrayed you.
No matter how strong the power, there was always a gap.
No matter how fast the fist, if you blocked by the book, you could slip it.
That was technique.
That was the fighting Seo Min-ho had spent a lifetime honing.
"Even if he's a monster… I can beat him."
Seo Min-ho stood in front of the mirror and threw a punch. Perfect form with nothing wasted.
"Why? Because fighting isn't just about power."
Looking at himself in the mirror, Seo Min-ho calmly repeated it.
He would break that monster named Han Daewong with his technique.
The monster everyone said was unbeatable—he would bring him down with the orthodox fundamentals.
That was the resolve of the man called Textbook—Seo Min-ho.
"Oh, it's starting. It's starting."
Seo-yeon set down the remote and settled into the sofa.
The living room TV was showing a combat sports broadcast.
A rebroadcast of Daewong's next opponent, Textbook—Seo Min-ho's previous fight.
Seo-yeon had put it on on purpose so they could see what kind of fighter the next opponent was.
Daewong sat beside her. The sofa sagged hard to one side under his bulk.
Suddenly, Seo-yeon thought of the old days.
It had been like this in the hospital too.
Sitting side by side on a narrow hospital bed, watching fights on a tiny TV… Back then Daewong hadn't even had a name yet, and now that big bear was about to stand on the stage on that screen.
…It was a strange thing, when you thought about it.
"Okay, look. This is your next opponent."
Seo-yeon pointed at the screen.
On screen, Seo Min-ho's fight was unfolding.
He was good—good enough that even Seo-yeon could tell.
Nothing flashy. But nothing open either.
When the opponent threw a punch, he blocked by the book; when they kicked, he slipped it by the book; when a gap showed, he cut in clean.
A clean fight with not a scrap of waste.
"…Wow. This guy's really good."
Seo-yeon muttered without meaning to.
"No gaps in the defense, and the offense is precise. …No weaknesses. None."
Seo-yeon's face grew more and more serious.
With Kim Do-chol, honestly, she hadn't worried much.
Dirty as he was, she'd known Daewong would send him packing in one shot.
But this Seo Min-ho—something about him was different. Strength built up layer by layer with real skill.
…Is our big bear going to be okay?
Seo-yeon glanced sideways at Daewong.
In her head she knew one hit from Daewong ended everything.
She'd seen him send a hundred people flying like paper. And still, when the next opponent looked strong, her heart kept snagging on it somehow.
What if our big bear got hurt…
That was… the feeling Seo-yeon didn't often put into words.
"…Hey, Bear. Think you can beat this guy?"
Seo-yeon tossed it out like it was nothing. Without showing the worry.
But Daewong, watching the screen, gave a completely different answer.
"…I might do WWE."
"…Huh?"
Seo-yeon turned her head.
"…What, what did you say?"
"WWE."
Daewong said it again with a serious face.
"From now on, instead of UFC… I might do WWE."
"…"
For a moment Seo-yeon couldn't process the words.
WWE.
That… pro wrestling full of showmanship they did in America. The tights, the chair shots, the scripted show in the ring.
And this guy had just scored a three-second KO in his UFC debut, with the next fight right around the corner.
And that guy was suddenly saying he'd do WWE instead of UFC?
"…What!?"
Seo-yeon shot up off the sofa.
"WWE!? Are you out of your mind?! You KO'd a guy in three seconds in your UFC debut and now you're talking WWE?! The Octagon's rising star is going to do pro wrestling?!"
"…"
"No, you just blew up! Everyone's calling you a monster! And now you're suddenly going to put on tights and put on a show?! What kind of nonsense is that!"
"…"
"WWE is all scripted! They hit each other in the head with chairs and nobody dies! They fall off ladders and walk away fine! Why? Because it's a script! It's a show!"
Seo-yeon waved her hands wildly as she poured it out.
"But you?! If you swing a chair for real, the other guy actually dies! If you try to take a soft bump and they throw you? They can't lift you! You won't go! Because you're too heavy!! What kind of show is that supposed to be?!"
"…"
"And the tights?! You in tights with that body?! Can you even picture it?! No!"
Seo-yeon bounced and fired back. It was so absurd her voice had gone up.
But Daewong was still serious.
"…That's not what I meant."
Daewong slowly opened his mouth.
"…I'll keep doing UFC."
"…Huh? Then?"
"But inside the Octagon cage… I'm going to do WWE."
"…"
Seo-yeon turned that over for a long moment.
He'd keep doing UFC. But inside the Octagon, he'd do WWE.
"…What kind of bullshit is that?"
Seo-yeon narrowed her brow hard.
"The Octagon is a UFC stage! Where people actually hit each other for real! And you're going to do WWE in there? By yourself? Does that make any sense?!"
"…I'll make it make sense."
"How!! The opponent is coming at you for real, and you're going to put on a tights show alone?!"
"…I won't wear the tights."
"That's not the point!!"
Seo-yeon clutched her head. She genuinely couldn't understand what this bear was talking about.
But Daewong was still serious.
"…If I fight for real, people die."
Seo-yeon's bouncing stopped cold.
"…I held back with Do-chol too. Barely used any power, and it still ended up like that. If I'd hit him for real… his head would've burst like a watermelon. That's what the old man said."
Daewong looked down at his own hands. Those enormous hands.
"If I go all out in the Octagon, the other guy dies. I want to fight for real too, but… I can't just tear the other person apart and kill them. So… I hold back. I take some hits on purpose, I pretend to get dragged around. Make it look good for the crowd, but without anyone dying."
Daewong looked at Seo-yeon.
"…That's WWE, isn't it. A scripted show. I… guess that's what I have to do. Because I can't fight for real."
Seo-yeon couldn't say a word.
At first she'd almost laughed from how absurd it was.
But once she heard the reason—she couldn't laugh.
Invincible physique.
A monster no one could beat.
Anyone with a foot in this industry would envy Daewong for that overwhelming power.
But the man himself, because of that power, couldn't even fight to his heart's content.
Afraid he'd kill someone. Afraid that if he went all out, he'd tear a person apart.
So for the rest of his life, holding back and holding back again. Living while pretending to be weak.
That being the strongest in the world could also be the heaviest burden in the world… Seo-yeon only understood that now.
"…Hey."
Seo-yeon sat back down on the sofa and muttered. The earlier fuss had already settled.
"…That sounds lonely."
"…"
"Everyone else is fighting for real. And only you have to fight while holding back. Without anyone knowing, either."
Daewong looked at Seo-yeon for a moment.
"…"
There was no answer. But that silence was the answer.
Seo-yeon thought for a second, then gave a short laugh. Then she deliberately spoke brighter.
"Well, whatever. So what if it's lonely. I already know, don't I."
"…Know what."
"That you're actually a kind big bear who holds way back when he fights. Even if the world thinks you're a scary monster, I know."
Seo-yeon shrugged and smiled.
"So don't get too lonely. Got it, Bear."
Daewong blanked out for a second at that, then let out a short laugh.
"…I'm not a bear."
"There he goes again."
Seo-yeon laughed out loud.
On the TV, Seo Min-ho was still beating his opponent by the book.
The man on screen looked strong.
No gaps, precise, the kind of fighter no one would beat easily.
But… now, strangely, Seo-yeon was more worried about something else than whether he was strong or weak.
How Daewong would hold back again against someone who fought that fair and square.
Whether he could hide his true strength, pretend to be weaker, and pull off that heavy show alone without anyone knowing.
Winning wasn't even a worry.
The problem was always the opposite.
But at least for this moment, she set those heavy thoughts aside.
Before she knew it, light laughter filled the living room.
Just like back when they'd shared canned coffee in the hospital.